Flag
and sash

Andries
Stilte's brilliant blue
sash and
flag mark his recent election to the position of ensign, or standard-bearer,
in Haarlem's Kloveniersdoelen, a civic militia company. (A klovenier
was a type of simple firearm.) Portraits of individual ensigns are virtually
unheard of in Dutch art, suggesting that this role held special significance
for Stilte.